[center][h3][color=silver]♤ Darius M Cain ♤[/color][/h3] [hr] [sub][h3][u][b]Time[/b][/u][/h3][h3]Arc 2, Day 1~ 3 P.M. [/h3][h3][u][b]Location[/b][/u][/h3][h3] Darius’ office, within Ominar [/h3][/sub][/center] [hr] There was a sharp knock on Darius’ office door. After several moments, the knob twisted then clicked open. A familiar face edged halfway inside. Afua. Her eyes flipped from one end to the other, searching for Darius. At first glance, she failed to spot him until her eyes came to rest on his desk. Lips slowly softened into a smile at the sight. Feeling safer inside than half-way out, she finished entering the room. Her hand casually tossed her dreadlocks over her shoulder as she bumped her hips backward, the door softly clicked shut. Mindful to lock it, she pushed off it. No one should see him like this. It would crack the image he worked so hard to establish, especially among his employees. It surprised her, really, to find him sound asleep at his desk. He look vulnerable with torso hunched over the top, an arm folded into a makeshift pillow and chest gently slumbering. If it wasn’t for the fact it would insult his pride, she would dare to call him cute. Afua found herself relieved [i]she[/i] found Darius. The less trustworthy would’ve taken advantage of his state and possibly end his life with a blade through his unaware head. Ending his reign in Ominar’s Entertainment District. She shuddered at the thought then reached for his shoulder. “Baas,” she began to get his attention, “Wake up.” As her hand made it halfway, Darius’ arm shot up. The coarse fingers tightened instantly about the wrist. Afua flinched but bit her tongue. Inside, she knew it was her own fault. She owned up to that and would bear through the punishment of her foolishness. Sluggishly Darius’ right eyelid lifted to reveal his golden iris. He momentarily sized Afua up then released his grip, allowing Afua to jerk it back. She tenderly rubbed her wrist as she broke the growing silence. “Ag, a little rough. Was that really necessary?” Her words hinted at sudden, and needed aggression. It wasn’t the only thing that changed. His paranoia practices had waned since his intimate connections. It was a fact that concerned the younger woman. Infatuation was one thing, but she had started to wonder if this wasn’t something more. She hoped not. Nothing against Masha, but Darius couldn’t afford the luxury. Pushing her discomfort to the side, she forced her posture to relax. She leaned against the desk’s edge. Her arms propped her upright, waiting for Darius’ answer to her question. The necromancer’s gaze searched for the expected bullshit she felt he might sprout. Ignoring her scrutinize, Darius righted himself in his chair. His hands began to rub away the grit in his eyes. Slowly pulling them down his muzzle, his golden eyes tightened in suspicion at her attentive concern about his well-being. Inhaling, he tried to put those ‘concerns’ to rest. [color=silver] “I’m fine. I’m just…tired.”[/color] “And aggressive.” Afua shot back. Her smile withered into a frown at his indifferent attitude, unable to understand its origins. His expression hardened at her words. Afua inhaled then decided to move the subject. She wasn’t going to get answers with him like this. Feeling her fingers brush a letter’s corner, her head tilted down. She gripped the unopened envelope in hand then curiously examined it. It was a familiar address, one of the Royal Blood’s lucrative business fronts, causing her to comment on its existence. “The Royal Bloods…contacted you recently?” Darius accepted her change of subject without resistance. His hand plucked the letter from her grip then shoved it into the top drawer. It slapped shut, keeping it out of her reach. [color=silver] “Yes.”[/color] “Over?” [color=silver] “It seems the Serpientes de Ouroboros have been intruding on their territory, more aggressively than normal. I’ve been requested to deal with it personally…”[/color] “You’ve gotta be shitting me…what have the frots done this time?” [color=silver] “Assaulted one of their people and nearly killed them, attempting to frame me.”[/color] “Oh, the little bastards. I assume you clarified things with McCarthy” [color=silver] “Of course. We are in still in good terms, and he knows it wouldn’t benefit me to ruin that.”[/color] “I hate to be them when he gets his hands on them… They would be better off dead. How did he handle the news of his man?” [color=silver] “Badly. I managed to dissuade him from tearing apart the Entertainment District, mostly by reminding him whose territory it was. A bloodbath is the last thing I want to clean up. Especially before the gala event tomorrow.”[/color] “It might be happening so soon?” Afua asked shock spread along her face. It made sense, she shortly realized, since it happened the same time every year. Seeing Darius’ displeasure at her slip up, she avoided eye contact as she pushed forward slightly. Darius leaned back in his chair, moving on. [color=silver] “Yes. This had been prearranged for nearly a month now.”[/color] Afua’s sarcasm poisoned her otherwise earnest compliment. “They have such [i]lovely[/i] timing.” She stepped toward the cabinet, noting the unused coffee maker. Her eyes glanced back to him for permission. Darius gave a small nod causing her to crouched down. She began to search the cabinet’s lower storage, then considered something. “The club’s grand opening is tonight, are you going? Are you considering it at least?” From her peripheral vision, she caught the change in his image. A sorrow wove within Darius’ body language. It screamed in the little ticks of his ears, whiskers and even in the small way his posture lowered at her words. She had grown up to read these painful signs. It all added up to regret. [color=silver] “I am, but… I’m debating on if I should skip it.”[/color] “Why?” [color=silver] “Personal reasons.”[/color] Her hand slapped the mug down, causing them to clatter. She turned to face him with heavy sensation building in her core. Afua wasn’t about to ignore this as she studied him a moment. “Darius, are you alright? Honestly. You’ve been acting rather… strange, especially lately. Forgetting brief snippets of conversations and your aggressiveness. This might be not like you.” Instinctively, her lithe legs strode across the distance. Her palm pressed against Darius’ forehead. Disappointed at the lack of a fever, she bit the side of her mouth and sought another reason. She backed away once more. “Maybe I should schedule another appointment with M’ve or see if Mr. Taeryn might have something.” [color=silver] “I doubt M've will find anything, he hasn’t yet during the last two examinations. Nabriales, I rather not owe a favor to or waste his time.”[/color] Darius’ tone seemed resigned in his current condition, a fact that didn’t sit well with Afua. “Do you have any idea of what might be causing it?” [color=silver] “Stress, I hope. It’s the only different factor in the last three months. The other explanation is one that I seriously fear the most. If it’s true, no one could help me.”[/color] Darius’ eyes averted from hers, lowering to his desk. His hand folded underneath his muzzle as he became lost in thought. [color=silver] “I’m currently considering upgrading the security system and have a few of your eyes infest my home.”[/color] Afua’s jaw nearly dropped. “What? You’re not serious, are you baas? You can’t stand the scent of the better ones… why do you think this is a good idea?” [color=silver] “Afua, I’m missing an hour of time now. What happens when it becomes more? I need someone I can trust to inform me about what happened during that missing time and prevent any problems.”[/color] Those words promptly silenced her. Right now, she wanted to just beat the living daylights from his very being. This was absurd. The whole plan was, but the face he displayed nailed her heart deeply. The pain spread and burned until she could no longer stand it. “Fine, but let it be on record I don’t like this. If it might be stress, this just makes it more important to go to the club’s opening. You need a break from all [i]this[/i].” Afua gestured to the desk and its contents. Darius seemed unpersuaded by her display causing the necromancer to sigh. Realizing this conversation was hitting a dead end fast, Afua moved toward the door. “At least consider it?” She let her last words linger in the air before she vanished out the room. Maybe she wasn’t the only one to notice or be willing to fix it.